new thread
Relax. I'm not applying the more familiar "two week rule" to myself. I have no intention of cutting my hair anytime soon (stay tuned for annual update later this year).
I am, however, thinking of moving from San Mateo to Santa Cruz County, because it's a lot cheaper there. I could actually afford to buy a low-end place, and stop renting. That's a big decision, and I've already had one regretful home purchase in my life.
This got me thinking. Have any of you out there in longhairland ever applied the two-week rule to major decisions OTHER than cutting your hair?
Oh Yes! I think having time to have second thoughts and time to
consider all angles is definitely worth it. Its kept me from
making decisions I know I would have regreted later. The snap
decisions that I have made were just as often bad as good.
Also its I'm glad that even if you move you are still staying in
California!
Yes, unfortunately, as they say, "it's not like buying a loaf of bread".
You know - it's funny but for minor decisions like what type of paint to put on my boat, I'll agonize for weeks over them. Major decisions like getting married, buying a house, I tend to make in a flash.
Well - I've been working on the boat since 2005 and still haven't launched it but next month I'm coming up to 20 years married and will have been in the house for 18.
Go figure.
AndrewB
Haha, it sounds like a one-man internalized "bikeshed" discussion. That word, "bikeshed", refers to a situation in software engineering; but I believe its origins stem back further than that in ths study of design processes.
Somebody observed that if you propose the construction of a power plant, most people will simply approve it; but if you propose to build a bikeshed everybody will have a suggestion and it will actually take far longer to build than it should.
The reason is that the bikeshed is something everybody can understand, so they all have an opinion. The powerplant is so complex and expensive, everybody assumes that those making the proposal know what they're doing.
"... everybody assumes that those making the proposal know what they're doing."
Scary though, huh? Sounds like the California government...
--Rick
In fact buying a home like your contemplating. My house located near a rail yard at first turned me off big time but it had numerous features I liked. In 2005 the big consideration was appreciation as everyone was flipping houses (before the bubble burst) After thinking about it two weeks I decided I wanted it to live in for preferably a long time so I bought it and am happy I did.
A rail yard isn't as noisy as you might think and I have only one neighbor and she's wonderful. So no creaming small children or noisy traffic and I'm across from the police and fire dept which is handy if I have a heart attack.
Now is the time to try and buy as prices are good cause sooner or later mortgage rates and values will rise again.
Good luck
Kevin
If I moved there, it might be the first time in my life I *didn't* hear noise. When I was a kid, the train was more than a mile, but still within earshot and often a dominant noise breaking the tranquility of suburbia. In college, I was almost always near the tracks and at one point I was less than a block from them. You had to really know what you were listening for to hear trains in the part of DC where I lived, but street noise made up for it. I definitely prefer trains to street noise.
I can hear trains now, and *walk* to commuter rail. This is exactly the kind of community I'd like to buy in; but I don't think it will be in my range anytime soon.
Hi Steve,
This is a great post as what you are asking has now become a big part of my life right now.Over the last couple months my life has changed significantly and now I am pondering moving across country out to the bay area in CA.I will be flying out there this fall to assess the real estate market to see where I can afford to live.If everything goes as plan I will be laying the groundwork to leave NJ.I've lived here all my life but now seems like the time to do this.Anyway good luck with your moving plans as I'd love to meet you guys again:)
Mark
Oh wow. Fell in love with the Coast, did we? Looking forward to seeing you again at some point. I was thinking there should be an old-style meetup with a bunch of people again at some point.
Yes the west coast is nothing like the east and I've been out there many times to really appreciate the beauty of the area.I'm fortunate to have my brother, who lives there, to help me scope out the area when I come out this fall.Also an old style mlhh meetup would be a blast since its been kind of quiet in that department lately.
Mark
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Count me in for that. Maybe in SF?
I am delighted that you are going to relocate to the SF Bay Area. I have always wanted to meet you. I will e-mail you soon.
Scott
On a less serious note than some of the other replies, in the SCA heralds commonly advise those seeking to have a coat of arms designed to take the design they think they want, print it on a piece of paper, and tack it up somewhere you're going to see it a lot over the next two weeks. After that, if you still like the design, it's time to submit it for registration.
Jim
Oh that's cool! I love it. So the answer to my question is definitely "yes", and I don't think the heraldry thing is all that frivolous, when you consider their original purpose. In this context, it's like you get to choose your own nic-name that's going to follow you around for a long time.
Definitely, my last was that i had about $700 to spend and was deciding what guitar to get. Turned into more of the 3 month rule LOL.
i narrowed it down to an Ibanez Xiphos, Washburn Havok, and a Gibson Corvus.
I went with the corvus because its just a really rare guitar that nobody around me or any famous guitarist has. its great to show off and a good conversation peice. Its, a little banged up but not bad for being 25 years old.
PS its about time someone makes a thread where i can show this off :D
Don't know anything about guitars; but that's certainly different looking.
I think the 2 week rule is good for just about any decision. Santa Cruz is awesome!
Hi Steve,
Yes, unless it is an emergency, I do use the "two-week rule" or other appropriate time span as a way to see if I really need or want something.
For the fellow electronics geeks here, it's my way of "low-pass filtering out the noise of life".
- Oren
Hey. Nice Analogy... If I may say so.
KG6QBB
Hi Steve,
That is a good point.
I must admit I do use the two week rule if I thinking of making some kind of major purchase like TV, DVD player etc and do my research first.
Cheers,
John.
...there's just plain math.
Some 1-bedroom cabins are listed as low as $99k; but let's say $100k to keep the math easy.
I pulled up rentals on Craigslist:
(begin, rentals)
Jul 9 - $750 Studio in Ben Lomond - (scotts valley) pic
full kitchen, all utes paid!
Jul 8 - $550 Cottage/studio for rent - (scotts valley)
no kitchen. :(
Jul 6 - $700 cute studio cottage - (scotts valley)
no w/d, otherwise all utes paid except garbage and cable.
Jul 6 - $650 Small, Clean Studio Cottage in Felton-Close to Everything - (scotts valley)
no kitchen sink. :(
Jul 5 - $800 / 1br - Sanctuary - (scotts valley) pic
full 1 bd with all reqs and view, $175 extra for full utes.
Jul 4 - $800 / 1br - 1 BR Felton Studio: 2 rooms on 2 acres, sunny - (scotts valley)
2 bd., all utes except propane and electric.
Jul 3 - $650 200 ft Studio with loft in Felton-Great neighborhood - (scotts valley)
no kitchen sink. :(
(end, rentals)
separating ute cost from rent is problematic!
Rent is probably an average of $600/mo, ie, $7200/yr.
Property tax? May need to appeal--worst case scenario
might be an asessment at $200k, resulting in $2000/yr tax,
but a $1500/yr tax is more likely.
Thus, $7200-$1500=$5700/yr saved by owning vs. renting,
not including insurance and upkeep!!! Let's ballpark it
and say I save $5000/yr owning. A $100k purchase would
return 5% -- better than any CD yield currently, but not
spectacular.
Based on all this, I think I may end up treating a move to the neighboring county the same way I treat a cross-country move: rent first.
I also tend to find it somewhat reassuring to know that if there's a fire, mudslide, etc; that my life is a concern regardless of rent or own; but once I've gotten out in one piece, a red-tagged structure is a much bigger loss to the landlord than the renter.
I think perhaps the math on rent vs. own might not be so bad if I were buying for a family of 4. Three bedroom houses don't cost 4 times what a small cabin does.
Hi Steve,
A very close friend of mine just bought a house in the Hayward Hills area (across the San Mateo Bridge in the E. Bay). She and her husband are both originally Bay Area natives; but, had moved out of the area for slightly over 10 years, living in both NYC and also in the Midwest where they briefly owned their first house. When they moved back to the Bay Area in '02, a lot of their family & friends kept pressuring them to buy buy buy; but, wisely (as it turned out), they didn't want to stress themselves out, financially-speaking, and just kept on saving their $$ for whenever they felt the housing market might become more affordable...
Well, their patience has paid off: the house they now own is a good $200k - $300k less than what the market would have made them pay a couple of years ago. They have been VERY picky about the neighboorhood, the design, location, etc., and they were actively house-hunting for over a year. It pays to be patient!
Experts in the field say that the likelihood of Bay Area housing prices continuing to go down in price may not last too much longer; but, hey, who can "ACCURATELY" predict the future? It's all a guessing game; plus doing the math, remaining patient, & yet persevering with one's goals, --- kinda like growing long hair (LOL)!!
Good luck, Steve, --- and I don't blame you for looking into Santa Craz County, as it's quite gorgeous down there (as well as cheaper)!!
- Ken
I know a guy who owns a mobile home in Santa Cruz and he's happy with it. I'll leave it to you to decide whether a mobile home would be preferable to a run-down house.
I grew up in Palo Alto about 200 yards from those very Caltrain commute trains that go up and down the peninsula. I always liked the sound of the trains; it was comforting in a way.
Yes, although in what you're contemplating I'd advise a little bit longer- a month- at least one rent payment/mortgage cycle.
After you've done all the math and you logic brain is convinced that it makes sense, poll your emotion brain with this exercise: imagine that you've done the deed. Tell yourself that. Then listen to yourself and examine your emotions- how does it feel? Good? Bad? Other?
I must say, S Cruz is pretty darn nice, IMHO.
Yes, for the past year, every rent check has been like an investment. How so? The median price of a home has, on average, fallen more than what I'm paying each month in rent.
Insanity!
I never thought I'd hear myself saying that paying rent is like an investment. Still though, some of these homes are getting close to the price of a car, although they require serious repairs and/or are in undesireable areas. I can't see prices continuing to decline the way they have the past year.